


Cracking The Code

by MST_TSM



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:55:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MST_TSM/pseuds/MST_TSM
Summary: Panam Palmer finds herself trying to rid herself of a debt. She knows her mission but it turns out to be much harder than she thought. The reason- V. V is working Militech- a genetics company that is not just implanting tech into citizens, but weapons to sterilize people thought to have undesirable traits.This story will be told from both Panam's and V's perspectives, not only following Panam though her mission, but also discovering just how far V is tangled in the web of lies from Militech. Panam and V will have to work together to break free from the dark side of the corporate world. However- will they be able to sacrifice what means the most to them? Will they be able to say goodbye?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

“Fuck! Fuck Fuck Fuck!” Panam Palmer said to herself as she stepped out onto the balcony of Afterlife. Impossible, she thought. It was simply impossible to achieve what was being asked of her. She knew she needed the job but she did not know how she was going to get it done. “Well this is either the end of the line or my ticket to freedom,” she thought to herself.

Panam Palmer found herself staring out into the night silently resenting Ethan for pulling her back into Night City for the ‘job that was made for’ her, as he had said. She hated Night City. The lights. The sounds. The noise. The smells. It was too crowded and made her head spin. It was the opposite of everything that she ultimately wanted- a life on the road in the Badlands with her family, the Aldecaldos. But seeing as she could not return until her debt was paid, she had no choice but to take whatever job fell her way, even if it did mean spending most of her time in Night City. She ran her fingers though her dark hair that was pulled high at the top of her head thinking of what was to come.

“So, is this too much for you or do you think you can do it?” Ethan asked, drink in hand walking towards the railing. 

Panam sighed, raising her guard. She knew that if Ethan saw any sign of hesitation he would find someone else for the job. Squaring her shoulders, she turned, “What? You really think that little of me. You think someone could do it better? You must be out of your mind,” she said, taking the drink from his hands, downing it. 

“All right. Fine. But you do realize that you are going to have to try to act professional. You cant walk in there all bitchy expecting to get it done on the first day. This could go on for months.”

“Yes. I get that. But then I’m done. That’s it. After I get close to him and get the intel, I am finished.”

“Yes Panam. After you get what we need, you can go on your way and get the hell out of Night City for all I care.” Ethan said, turning to leave. “But if you fuck this up, there will be hell to pay. So get it done, no excuses.”

“Yes sir,” Panam retorted in her most sarcastic tone. Using the conclusion of their conversation as her cue to leave, she decided to head back to her flat on 8th street to finish making arrangements for the next day. She knew what she had to do but was already counting the days until she was finished. 

After getting home, washing the stench of the night off in the shower, and changing into her torn cami and shorts for bed, she decided to read though her briefing sheet one more time to ensure that her story was etched into her memory for tomorrow. Every time she read the sheet, she felt sick to her stomach. How could someone do this to another human being? “Damn Militech,” she thought to herself, laying back on her pillow. She knew that Militech was shady but never imagined that they would take it so far. “Fuckers, implanting tech to sterilize people to make sure that only the ‘evolved’ survive is sick.”

Panam couldn’t help but think about the mission as she lay there staring at the ceiling. It was perfectly clear what she was supposed to do. Get close to one of the employees named V who was high enough up in Militech that he would know what was really going on, but not high enough that he would have suspicions about the new data analyst asking questions, just trying to understand what she was studying. After the connection was made, do what she had to do to get into his place, load the files, and stick around just long enough that no one suspects anything. The only problem- she couldn’t stand the idea of seducing someone who was planning on killing people by the millions. She hated the idea of having to spend so much time with someone who she would rather run over with a car. But, she owed a debt. A debt that had been hanging over her head for the last year and she was ready to be free. So while she knew that she would hate every moment of being around the sleeze ball named V, she knew that she would do just about anything if it meant she could be back with her family.


	2. Chapter 2

"You and you, with me. Now," Mike Pondsmith said as he strode past Panam and Sarah's desks. Mike Pondsmith was the middle aged greying manager for Panam's genetics analysis division. Panam had only met him once during orientation and he had really struck a nerve with her. She remembered him walking into the room of new hires, staring each one up and down, before deciding that Panam would be on his team specifically. Everything inside of her was dying to say no, but she knew she needed to play nice and bide her time. 

Panam and Sarah quickly grabbed their notebooks and followed after Mike. Mike led them to the elevator and hit the button, causing the doors to close behind them.

"Listen here, we have been invited to attend this meeting to provide a briefing on the results of Phase Two. I expect you two to make us look good in there," Mike said as he straightened his tie.

Panam couldn't help but roll her eyes. She knew that Mike was just like the rest of them, following the money around like a lost dog. But this is what she signed up for and she had been studying for this. If she could prove herself useful then it would bring her one step closer to being free. 

The elevator stopped on floor 72, opening to an open layout full off frosted glass offices. Panam followed behind Sarah and Mike, not wanting to partake in their small talk. As they walked into the last conference room on the left Panam realized that she knew the person leading the meeting. While she didn't know him personally, she felt like she knew everything about him from his file. His height. His weight. His attire. His name. Everything. 

V was standing at the head of the table, surveying the people in attendance. He chatted briefly with another who Panam recognized from the file, Arthur Jenkins. 

Without pause she took her seat next to Sarah at the end of the 20 person table. They were the last to arrive and all eyes turned to V, ready for the meeting to begin. "Corpos, all the same pieces of shit," Panam thought to herself as she watched their faces light up when V started talking. 

"As many of you know, Phase Two of Project Forward is coming to it's completion," V started. "With the end of Phase Two we have the unique opportunity to reevaluate our standing in the world. Do we focus on the most vulnerable populations here close to home or do we turn to embrace the rest of the world, offering others the chance to take part in our research?" He continued, "Phase Two has shown us that the intebots are able to rewrite genetic material, allowing people born with disabling conditions to step forward into a transcended future. And here to tell us more about the genetics behind the intebots and where we are - Mike." V finished gesturing towards Mike. 

With all eyes turned toward Mike, he stood, pausing to gather his thoughts. "In Phase One we were able to identify which aspects of a cells genetic material would be a viable means of intercept. In Phase Two we were able to integrate the intebots into 40,000 test subjects, half of which were placebo to test the efficacy of the devices. The other-" Mike began before being cut off by V.

"Yes, we all know what the phases accomplished. What you are here to do is explain what specifically was being altered in the code and how it was accomplished."

Looking flustered, Mike began shuffling though his papers looking for the answer. "Oh, well specifically, specifically we uh, we looked at.." he stammered. 

With a deep breath Panam rose, placing a hand on Mike's shoulder, feeling a fleeting sense of pain for him from the look of panic on his face. "Over 20,00 individuals had the intebot implanted into their cerebellar pontine angle of the brain stem in which the intebot could extend it's neral integration system. The intebot is focused on producing a protein which we call the FM7 protein that is aimed at rewriting mitochondrial DNA as this is a typical means of genetic disorders descending from the mother. Of the 20,000 individuals, more than 87% showed success across multiple focus areas showing that Phase Three is ready to begin," Panam finished. With a final nod, she sat, leaning back in her chair.

"Very well. Thank you-" V started, waiting for her to provide her name. 

"Panam."

"Panam. Alright. Now let's hear from market research."

Panam sat, weighing her next steps carefully as she passively listened to the rest of the meeting, something which she rarely did. She thought of herself as someone who usually acted before she had time to think. While this has been useful it the past, it was also the reason she found herself in this situation to begin with. She knew she had done the right thing, protecting her family from the Raffen Shiv advancement that would have cost members of her clan their lives but it didn't make her any more enthused about being stuck in a conference room of corpos.

"On the one hand," she thought, "I could let V come to me. But that may take weeks. I could also go up to him at the end of the meeting and see what comes of that. It may help speed things along." She sat there for the next fourty minutes going back and fourth between her options. "Fuck it," she thought to herself as the meeting ended, deciding to stick to the original plan and let the meeting happen organically another day.

As the meeting attendees filed out of the room, V called after her, "Panam, very impressive briefing for someone who only just started. Come by my office tomorrow around noon and we can talk about your plans with Militech."

"Yes, sir of course, my plans with Militech," Panam responded, trying to keep her sarcasm in check. As she turned to walk away she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "More like my fucking plans for Militech."


	3. Chapter 3

Panam arrived to the 87th floor the next afternoon for her meeting with V. This was the first time she had been in this part of the building and it made her skin crawl. She knew that everyone on this floor was a part of the sterilization efforts. It made her sick. If it was up to her, she would have killed them all and been done with it, but it wasn't up to her. She just needed to tip toe around a bit, test the waters and then retreat if she needed to. 

She was led to a corner office where V was on the phone. He motioned for her to come in and have a seat. His assistant offered a glass of water which she declined. Upon finishing his call he grabbed a bottle of water off his desk, took a swig and began, "Glad you could make it today."

"Well it didn't seem like the best idea to turn down the offer so here I am." She said though a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "So what did you want to talk about?"

V walked around the table, admiring her. "I appreciate you getting straight to the point. I think that's a good trait to have."

"Well I usually act before I think- when I do something or say something spontaneously, I feel I'm being honest."

"Honesty. A difficult trait to find in someone these days. And exactly the reason why Militech is lucky to have you." V walked back around his desk to his chair and took a seat. Panam was watching him closely. "I wanted to speak with you more regarding what you are looking to accomplish with the analytics division and see if you were happy there."

"Happy? Hard to tell. I just started and am still getting my feet wet."

"Hmm, well we have a position opening up here that would be working with the intebots more intimately. We could use someone with a quick mind like yours up here." 

Shit, she thought to herself. It was almost too easy, getting close to V this way but again what choice did she have. It's not like she could say no and then still hope to accomplish what she had been assigned to do but at the same time, the thought of having to get even closer to the machines and minds destroying people's chances at family sounded like a nightmare. 

She sat there, staring back at V, pretending to consider his offer, knowing that she would take it, trying to see if she could see the true motivation behind his eyes. But the more she looked, the more she wished she had her Overwatch riffle with her. Before she could lose herself in that fantasy, she responded, "Sure, why not. Sounds like exactly the kind of opportunity I was looking for when I decided to work here." She tried not to laugh at the double meaning of her words and she stood to shake his hand. 

"I'm glad to have you. We can have Mike bring up your things from your desk and get you started this afternoon. Let's get you cleared for access to the labs and get you started," V said calmly.


	4. Chapter 4

After grabbing lunch, V waited in his office for Panam to return from her break. "Finally," he thought to himself. "Someone with a good head on their shoulders." 

When Panam arrived back to his office, he watched her. Panam's dark hair was pulled high to the top of her head with a few loose strands left framing her face. Her tanned skin made her smile shine. But it was by far her eyes that were her most captivating feature. Her eyes were a warm chocolate color which stood in contrast to her penetrating stare. It was like she could see right though all the bullshit that made up Night City. 

"Ready to go?" She questioned breaking his train of thought. 

"Yes, of course, let's go." 

V led the way though the maze of offices and conferences rooms showing Panam her desk and highlighting the important areas. However, in his mind, this tour was for more than just showing Panam around, he genuinely wanted to know her. There was something about her, the way she spoke, the way she looked at him, that made him curious.

"So where are you from Panam," V asked, trying to start the flow of a conversation.

"Ehh, a little here, a little there. It's not so much about where someone is from for me. Its more about where the people you care about are." She replied obviously trying to evade the question. 

"Well I grew up here, in Night City. Mostly on the street but though a string of good luck I was able to set myself on a path that led me here."

"Yeah, good luck," she sarcastically replied under her breath. "And are you happy with the work you do here?"

What an odd question, V thought. "Well yes, of course. We are helping people live healthier lives," he said as he stopped walking. Panam turned to face him, with an unreadable look on her face. He continued, "To be honest, Night City is a dark and unforgiving place for most. It chews you up and spits you out. It takes your soul and everything you care about if you let it. But despite all of that, there are people, good people, who need help. And that's what we are doing. We are getting those people help."

Shocked, Panam stood there, silently. Did he actually think he was helping people? Did he really and truly believe that's what was going on here? How fucked up is that, she thought to herself over and over again. 

V, misreading the situation continued, "I mean, Jesus, say something. Don't make me stand here feeling like an idiot for trying to have a genuine opinion about something."

Panam looked over her shoulder, deciding to trust what her gut was telling her and trust him. "Listen, is there somewhere we can talk. Alone."

Confused, but sensing the urgency in her voice, V grabbed her hand and led her to the elevator. They didn't speak a word until they were on floor 32. "This way," V said leading her to a back supply overflow closet. Panam stepped into the room, looking around that the miscellaneous monitors, tech and cords protruding from the shelves. She could hear V close the door behind him. Taking a deep breath she turned and found herself much closer to V than she anticipated. 

Taking a step back, she rested her hands on her hips, trying to determine if she was making the right move by talking to V. For all she knew, V was just a good liar and good at his job. After all, working for a weapons company that was branching into weaponizing genetics had to mean you were pretty fucked up in the head. 

But something told her that he really and truly believed that he was helping people. That Militech was actually trying to be the good guys rather than the dark pieces of shit that they had been in the past. "Here's the thing V. This conversation I can see going one of two ways. Either I tell you this information and you are as horrible as I have heard in which case you will try to kill me for what I know- and fail I might add." She said, pausing to let the last part sink in. "Or I read you right and you are actually a decent human being and don't know the fucked up shit you are taking part in. So which is it?"

Confused, V stood there staring at her. What did she think was going on here? What the hell is happening? He thought. 

"I have no fucking idea what you are going on about so just say it please so we can get on the same page."

Turning her head side to side she decided to just get it over with. "You are not working for a company that is trying to help people. Militech is a weapons company. They are corrupt- always have been, always will be."

Taking it in, V asked, "What does weapons have to do with Project Forward?" 

Rolling her eyes with frustration she took a step closer, "Project Forward is not implanting devices to cure genetic issues. Project Forward is implanting those devices to sterilize people who have genetic traits that Militech has determined to be undesirable. They are weopanizing implantable tech to decide who gets to pass down their genetics and whose genetic lines will die out."


End file.
